Terminally ill U.S. K-pop fan to visit South Korea

NEW YORK (Yonhap News) ― An American teenager with an incurable disease is set to visit South Korea next month and meet her favorite K-pop stars.

From an early age, Donika Sterling of Brooklyn, New York, suffered from a rare disease that has gradually slowed down parts of her body and made it difficult for her to move.

Donika Sterling

The 15-year-old girl’s dreams came true, however, when one of her grandmother’s patients at a Manhattan hospital heard her story and decided to send her to South Korea, where she plans to meet her favorite pop stars.

Herbert Black, president of American Iron and Metal, was reportedly moved by the care he received from Sterling’s grandmother when he was hospitalized at the hospital, where she works as a nurse.

Speaking to reporters in New York Sunday, Sterling said she is a fan of K-pop bands SHINee and Super Junior, and enjoys watching Korean dramas.

She also said she hopes to become a child psychologist and comfort children who are in pain.